While having some "customer service" experience with one very known kite manufacturer, I've got the fallowing definition of why the trimmer is there to begin with:

You should know that the Depower strap is more for depowering the kite and not to trim it back and forth. Our kites come perfectly trim out of the bag so no need to use your Depower Strap. If you use your Depower strap that means 2 things:
1) you are over power and need to land your kite and put a smaller kite
or
2) your kite is not trimmed well and need to be trimmed by adjusting the knots on the kite or bar.

Personally I use my DEPOWER STRAP only when I launch and when I am over power and need to land the kite. But that is it. I never use it back and fourth.

Just trying to figure out if I'm dumb, because I always thought that the trimmer is there to micro-adjust the kite for the current wind conditions. Or somebody is trying to convince me that i'm a stupid donkey?

Last edited by alexeyga on Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

That is totally wrong. The depower strap is there to increase the range of your kite, not to adjust for incorrect line lengths. Why would you land your kite instead of just pull the depower strap? That is exactly what it is there for! Whenever you see a table listing wind ranges for a kite, those numbers assume that you use the depower strap as intended. Without it your range will be very small.

Well, frankly speaking I've been riding long enough and have been using trimmers often enough to know what it is there for... I just couldn't believe the above-quoted response i've got from an owner of a kite company who has been working in kiteboarding industry since the early 2000-s!!!! WTF????

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Last edited by alexeyga on Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I agree with it. At the point you need to pull trim to reduce power (not to ride unhooked or adjust out of wack line lengths) you are in the sweet spot of the next kite size down. Plus you are out of the sweet spot of the current kite.

That's not to say don't keep riding. But know that the next size down will be perfectly powered.

about half the power in above the control bar system trim is the trim strap. Below the bar control bar systems the bar travel is equivalent to pulling the strap. So yeah for above bar trim it's silly to never use it, you are wasting half of your kite depower. What if you are racing upwind and need more depower, it would be stupid not to pull the trim so you can make better time upwind. And of course you need about an inch depower to ride unhooked so the kite pops rite. Also for those with short arms (mostly ladies) not using the trim means you are wasting so much of the kite's potential. It sure is easy for a long armed guy to ride comfortably with the bar half way but that's at the end of the reach for the short armed.

If you ride below the bar trim, have long arms, never race, never ride unhooked, only ride freestyle, then sure don't use the trim. He's the donkey not you.

alexeyga wrote:Well, frankly speaking I've been riding long enough and have been using trimmers often enough to know what it is there for... I just couldn't believe the response i've got from the owner of a kite company who has been working in kiteboarding industry since the early 2000-s!!!! WTF????

alexeyga wrote:Well, frankly speaking I've been riding long enough and have been using trimmers often enough to know what it is there for... I just couldn't believe the response i've got from the owner of a kite company who has been working in kiteboarding industry since the early 2000-s!!!! WTF????

I agree with the mystery kite company - kites fly best with lines a set length, using the strap is a compromise of performance over wind range. Its not there to be constantly fiddled with, a correctly set up kite should not need the strap touching, all the trimming should be achievable using the normal bar throw and moving your arms hence kites all now have long bar throws. I